New York City Launches Crackdown On CBD In Food, Drinks

In a statement, they’ve directed restaurants and cafes to stop serving cannabidiol – an extract from the cannabis plant – with their food.

“Restaurants in New York City are not permitted to add anything to food or drink that is not approved as safe to eat. The Health Department takes seriously its responsibility to protect New Yorkers’ health. Until cannabidiol (CBD) is deemed safe as a food additive, the Department is ordering restaurants not to offer products containing CBD,” the Health Department said in a statement.

The FDA established the ban in late December, and the Health Department says it began issuing warning at the beginning of the year as part of routine inspections.

Web Extra: Dr. Max Gomez On CBD

At the Flower Power Coffee Shop, owner Dorothy Stepnowska took down her menu and cleared out her most popular items.

“My main product I was selling was CBD. I had lattes, cappucinos, espressos, ice tea. Now I have to pull everything off my menu,” Stepnowska told CBS2’s Aundrea Cline-Thomas.

So far, only five restaurants have been issued orders not to include CBD in their products, though the supplement seemed to be gaining in popularity.

On its own, CBD is legal to sell.

CBD is one of many compounds derived from cannabis. Another is THC, the main psychoactive compound in marijuana. Unlike TCH, pure CBD products won’t produce a euphoric effect.